HBO Now Inks Partnership With Cablevision

HBO Now launches in April and last week it announced a partnership with Apple.

Cablevision said Monday that it is the first cable TV provider to partner with HBO on its upcoming, stand-alone Internet streaming service to be called HBO Now.

The partnership means that subscribers to Cablevision's Optimum Online broadband service will be able to order HBO Now through Optimum and simply tack on the extra per-month fee to their existing bill.

HBO Now launches in April, and last week it announced a partnership with Apple so that it would be available via an App on iPhones and iPads and as a channel on Apple TV.

While HBO executives have already said HBO Now will cost $14.99 per month, Cablevision and HBO said Monday that the price for Optimum users won't be announced until later. Terms of the financial arrangements between Cablevision and HBO also were not disclosed.

Beyond Optimum and Apple, HBO Now will be available at HBONow.com via any broadband connection, though the partnerships will undoubtedly make it a more elegant service for users of Apple and Optimum.

HBO Now will compete with Netflix, Amazon.com and others and is expected to offer more than 2,000 titles, including movies, current HBO shows and library titles like The Sopranos and Sex and the City.

"As New York's premier connectivity company, we are enabling Optimum Online customers to enjoy content in any way they choose to receive it," said Cablevision COO Kristin Dolan. "We are well-positioned to support HBO Now and, as technology advances, Cablevision will continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers."